I am wondering if they have postponed these in order to perhaps start looking into managing the forests and not the roads. They really need to look into geting rid of the massive fire danger with all the composting material on the ground that is sucking all the moisture up and killing the trees.

U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region postpones public meetings on forest plan revisions

Release Date: Mar 27, 2014 VALLEJO, Calif. –The U.S. Forest Service is postponing a series of public meetings scheduled for forest plan revisions on the Sierra, Sequoia and Inyo National Forests. These meetings were originally scheduled for April 7, 8 and 10. The Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement, which was previously scheduled to be published in early April, will be postponed as well. The Notice of Intent marks the beginning of the National Environmental Policy Act process.
Dates for the rescheduled meetings and Notice of Intent have not yet been set.
These meetings would have followed workshops the Forest Service hosted in January. At those workshops, the public provided feedback on the Forest Service’s preliminary Need to Change, Draft Roles and Contributions, and example Desired Condition statements. Those comments are being considered as we update these documents and move forward with plan revision work.
“We have heard from the public and our partners that they need more time to understand and engage with us on the Need to Change,” said Regional Forester Randy Moore. “By postponing these meetings we will provide more time to do so. We are committed to ensuring that the public remains engaged as we move forward with revising these three forest plans.”
For more information regarding forest plan revisions and new meeting dates, visit the Pacific Southwest Region’s planning website at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/r5/landmanagement/planning.
For forest-specific information, please contact that forest directly:

The Sierra, Sequoia and Inyo are three of eight national forests that were selected as “early adopters,” meaning they will be the first to revise their land management plans using the new National Forest System Planning Rule, completed in 2012. The planning rule provides the framework for Forest Service land management plans across the nation.

WASHINGTON—In an effort to forestall the nation’s decline in biodiversity and ecological resources, representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced an expansive new initiative Wednesday aimed at the conservation of whatever’s left.
Speaking at a morning press conference, EPA officials told reporters that their new $70 million Save What We Can campaign is directed toward protecting the nation’s remaining plant and animal populations, as well as its lakes, marshes, woodlands, and other habitats “insofar as those things are still around.”
“By working together with scientists, lawmakers, and various conservation groups, we hope to preserve those ecosystems and forms of wildlife that have actually managed to hang in there for this long,” said EPA administrator Gina McCarthy, calling for broad-based environmental stewardship to maintain any natural areas that may still contain a handful of species here and there. “Bears, flowers, tree frogs, maybe even a river or two—if they’re still out there, we’ll do our best to find and conserve them.”
“Basically, whichever organisms are living right now, we’re going try to keep them alive,” she continued. “If that’s still a possibility.”
As outlined by McCarthy, the EPA will in the coming months award several dozen grants for research projects aimed at locating any biomes that still have enough flora and fauna and untarnished natural resources such that they remain able to function. Additionally, the agency affirmed its commitment to deploying its personnel nationwide to do “whatever can be done at this point” to safeguard areas that may still contain clean air, clean water, and land that’s not completely covered in refuse and filth.
Specifically, McCarthy said the campaign will seek to rescue the country’s extant “reptiles, estuaries, some butterflies and, who knows, maybe some coral reefs hopefully,” with the EPA chief noting that such threatened ecological assets could possibly persevere if the agency is able to reach them before they die off for good, assuming they’re still in existence in the first place.
“There are a lot of ecosystems that are long gone, but it should be noted that there are also a few that have somehow managed to make it this far, so it’s important for everyone to do their part to help ensure those remaining parts of nature continue to survive,” McCarthy said. “For example, if you come across any plants in your community or maybe some squirrels or a bird of some kind, we ask that you not kill or destroy them. And both individuals and industries should try to avoid putting garbage and chemical runoff into lakes and ponds. You see, a few fish could still be living in those waters, so doing that might kill them, which is actually the opposite of what we’re trying to do. So if everyone could just try to rein in that kind of behavior if you can, it would really help us out.”
While the EPA’s Save What We Can campaign is significantly less ambitious than previous measures to encourage the environment’s well-being, McCarthy admitted such past efforts—including attempts to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and foster a nationwide switch to clean energy—were “pretty unrealistic,” noting that the agency just has to make do with what little resources remain.
However, McCarthy emphasized that Save What We Can would ultimately have “enormous benefits, for a while, theoretically,” as long as a few still-living things eventually cropped up somewhere.
“We’ve come to realize that any measures aimed at restoring the environment to its former health and vitality or those that try to help a dwindling species recover and thrive really aren’t at all feasible for us any longer,” McCarthy said. “But through this new initiative, we at least have the opportunity to keep the environment going for a little while longer, which is better than nothing.”
“Of course, that’s only until our funding is cut even further,” McCarthy added. “Then, you know, the environment’s pretty much on its own.”

Well we sure did not have much of a winter here in the Sierras but I am sure everyone could stand to get out and spend some quality family time in the forest. Bring out your wife kids and your favorite ATV Jeep Motorcycle UTV or any other OHV you may have and help us to improve the appearance and condition of some of the roads and trails in the Sierra National Forest.

Please come join the Stewards of the Sierra National Forest and the Bass Lake Ranger District for a fun day of riding and trail appreciation support at the Miami Trails Riding Area located off of Highway 41 just above Oakhurst Ca. We will meet at the Kamook Staging area at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning 4/12/2014 and will split into groups from there.

Our mission for the day is to have some fun riding around the area and do some light maintenance on the road and trail system and remove as much of the unsightly waste left lying around from the winter. The Stewards of the Sierra will provide all of the tools and supplies necessary to accomplish this great day of giving back to the forest and helping to improve and keep your riding areas open. We will also be providing bottled water soda and a Kick Butt BBQ Lunch.

So bring a couple of your friends get your club involved and your favorite OHV ATV Jeep Motorcycle Quad or UTV and come out and have some fun and make a difference in our forest. Lets show the Forest Service just how much we care about our Sierra National Forest and how working together we can keep it open for everybody to enjoy.

VERY IMPORTANT. Please take a moment to RSVP and let us know how many of you will be attending to info@sotsnf.org so we can figure out how much supplies and food to bring up to Kamook. Let�s make this 4th Annual Miami Trails Appreciation Day a great one and kick off a great spring season here in the Sierra National Forest. For more information directions or any questions you might need answered just e-mail me or give me a call.